For the past few months, people might have seen a man standing on his head taking photographs in areas normally regarded as dangerous.
The man is Huang Ming-cheng (黃明正), a renowned stuntman and a dancer with the Lafa Dance Company, who has been nicknamed “Mr Candle.” Since March, Huang has been traveling around Taiwan taking more than 1,000 pictures from his unusual vantage point.
“I have dreamed about standing on my head and taking pictures since the age of 13,” Huang said. “I’d like to continue my project of standing upside-down and taking photos all over the world.”
Photo: CNA
The 27-year-old said he spent eight months working as a street entertainer to fund the project that began on March 13 in Pingtung County and has taken him 20,000km to spots all over the country.
He takes his photos at locations such as near cliffs, on rocks in the sea, on top of roofs and even on the back seat of a scooter.
“You see things differently when standing on your head,” he said.
Sometimes the weather has been so bad that the wind would threaten to blow him into the sea, but the moment he stood on his head to take the photos, the wind would drop and his mission would be accomplished, he said.
Huang has taken about 1,200 photographs upside-down over the past 150 days.
He first came into the spotlight at the age of 13 when he won the first international prize at the Chinese Wuqiao Stunt Games, one of the world’s four stunt events. He then studied stage and circus stunts at National Taiwan College of Performing Arts.
He joined the Lafa Dance Company in 2008, which he described as a turning point in his life.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
WARNING: Domestic coffee producers mainly grow arabica beans, as they self-pollinate, but they are more likely to have consistency issues, an expert said Taiwan ranks third in coffee consumption per capita in Asia, the latest Ministry of Agriculture data showed. Taiwanese consume 1.77kg, or 177 cups of coffee, per person each year, less only than Japan and South Korea, at 600 cups and 400 cups respectively, the ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station said. Although the nation mainly relies on imported coffee, there has been an increase in home-grown coffee bean production, the ministry said. Cuttings and other techniques are commonly used to ensure domestic beans have stronger floral and fruity flavors, it said. It is a fast-expanding market with Taiwan’s coffee consumption
RSS